In the latest MRF Tyres ODI Batting Rankings, two rising stars from India, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan, have made impressive strides, closing the gap on the world’s top-ranked batter, Babar Azam.
While Babar Azam still holds a commanding lead in the ODI batting rankings, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan have shown their potential during the ongoing Asia Cup 2023, earning new career-high ratings and climbing the rankings.
Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 67* against Nepal propelled him to a career-best rating of 750 points, securing him the third spot in the ODI batting rankings. This remarkable achievement comes less than a month before the start of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, highlighting Gill’s growing prowess.
Ishan Kishan’s outstanding performance against Pakistan in Pallekele, where he scored 82 runs, earned him a new career-best rating of 624 points. His impressive showing led to a 12-place rise in the rankings, securing the 24th position among ODI batters.
Despite having played only one innings in the Asia Cup, Babar Azam showcased his destructive capabilities with a magnificent 151 against Nepal. As a result, the inspirational Pakistan skipper still dominates the ODI batting rankings with a commanding 882 rating points.
South Africa’s powerful batter, Rassie van der Dussen, narrowly holds onto the second position, with Shubman Gill emerging as the latest contender following his recent jump in the rankings.
Additionally, the latest ODI rankings for bowlers witnessed significant changes, with several international stars performing well at the Asia Cup making notable progress. Pakistan’s pace spearhead, Shaheen Afridi, climbed four places to fifth overall in the bowler rankings, thanks to his six wickets in Pakistan’s first two matches. His teammates, Haris Rauf (up 14 to equal 29th) and Naseem Shah (up 13 to 68th), achieved new career-high ratings after their impressive performances.
Bangladesh’s captain, Shakib Al Hasan, returned to the top 10 bowlers, moving up two places to 10th. Sri Lanka’s spinner, Maheesh Theekshana, also made significant progress, climbing five spots to 15th. However, Australia’s duo of Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc maintained their positions at the top of the bowler rankings.
In the T20I rankings, several shifts occurred following an exciting series between South Africa and Australia, as well as England and New Zealand. South Africa’s captain, Aiden Markram, moved up one place to third among T20I batters and four spots to fourth among all-rounders. Australia’s Mitchell Marsh also advanced, climbing 14 spots to 11th among T20I batters.
New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips (up three places to 14th) and Finn Allen (up 22 spots to 22nd) showed remarkable progress in the T20I batting rankings. England’s skipper, Jos Buttler (up two places to eighth), and young sensation Harry Brook (up 51 spots to equal 27th) also rose in the rankings.
England’s top performers saw improvement in the T20I bowler rankings, with Adil Rashid rising two places to second place. Meanwhile, seamer Sam Curran improved one spot to eighth in the highly competitive top 10, led by Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan.
Ajmal Khan